PROTECTING YOUR PRIVACY WITH A PERFECT PASSWORD

Security is very important to most people and when you are dealing with computers, on line accounts, and other electronic devices you want to make sure your information is safe and secure.  You can create that security by selecting a perfect password.  Despite the name, a password does not have to be an actual word.  When choosing a password be creative.  Make sure your password is easy to remember and hard for someone to guess.

Listed below are some do’s and don’ts for choosing a perfect password to protect your accounts:

Choose a password that contains the following:

• at least nine alphanumeric characters
• a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters
• include numbers and other special characters

Avoid passwords that include the following:

• names of software, hardware, or computer companies
• your company’s name and/or location
• dictionary words or repeated letters or numbers
• names of family members, pets, friends, or co-workers
• your birthday, address, telephone number, or social security number

Guidelines to protect your password:

• do not disclose your password to anyone
• do not use the same password for multiple computers, PIN numbers, and/or bank accounts
• never write your password down anywhere near your computer or desk
• change your password frequently

Talk to experts at TCS Vision for assistance.

Ultimately, choosing a complex password may seem like a hassle, but it will ensure that your accounts are protected.  To learn more about creating and using passwords to safeguard your accounts please contact the security experts at TCS Vision at 877-884-6827.

What Proper Software Licensing Can Do For Your Business

Have you ever purchased a laptop or a workstation for an employee only to find out that the version of the operating system that was included with the machine was not compatible with your environment? Have you ever purchased multiple copies of a particular application and thought, “Why did I just pay so much money for multiple copies of the same software just because I need a license for every running copy?” Read more…

Are Wireless Networks Really Secure?

As of late, one of the hot topics in technology has been the discussion about the Wireless Equivalent Protection (WEP) having been broken. It is true that the protocol has effectively been rendered (for all intensive IT security purposes) useless and should be avoided. Researchers at the Darmstadt University of Technology in Darmstadt, Germany have proven that WEP can be broken with as few as 40,000 captured packets. What does this mean to you? An intruder could potentially recover your passkey in a short time and gain access to your WEP-encrypted network.
Read more…

Setting up your VPN under Windows Vista

Setting up PublicVPN access under Windows Vista is simple. The following instructions go step-by-step through the creation process. These instructions work under all the client side variations of Windows Vista, namely Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate. Read more…

Is Your DNS Healthy? You Need It To Be!

DNS configuration is essential to all of your network services.  Your e-mail, directory services (Microsoft Active Directory, Novell, etc.), and Web applications are dependent on proper DNS configuration. One small error in internal or external DNS can result in unavailable services, website errors, or non-delivery of e-mail.  Adding to the complexities of top-level DNS setup are the numerous concepts of zone transfers, TTLs, SOAs, PTRs, and so on.  Just because you have a functioning DNS server (hosted or otherwise) doesn’t mean that it is properly configured.  And there is more to DNS than meets the eye – proper DNS setup can mean less spam, tighter security, and more peace of mind.

If your company hosts its own network services like e-mail, websites, FTP, SharePoint, or CRM, read on!

FACT: Just because your internal and external DNS is functioning doesn’t mean it’s properly configured.

Even the most well-intentioned admins and engineers might not know how to properly configure SOA records to properly indicate primary nameservers, serial numbers, retry, refresh, and expiration values.  All of these components are essential to DNS configuration.  As the requirements on SaaS and Web applications become increasingly more complex, it becomes more essential than ever to know that your DNS systems are configured and running properly.  Expert advice on DNS and a regular DNS audit is a must in today’s Web-based service marketplace.

FACT: Errors in DNS e-mail configuration can result in missed e-mails from your customers, partners, and vendors.

E-mail delivery systems have become increasingly complex and more secure.  It is very typical for email systems to do DNS record checks against MX records for your domain.  The reality is that one slight misconfiguration in DNS related to your mailserver can result in other mail systems viewing yours as a potentially insecure mail server – resuting in their systems being unwilling to communicate with yours.  Proper MX and mail server configuration is critical to ensuring that your e-mail systems remain online and viable.  Do you have proper SPF records in place?  If you don’t know the answer to this question, it could benefit you to have TCS Vision audit your current DNS configuration to verify these settings and correct potential errors.

FACT: TCS can help in ensuring that your DNS is healthy.

My approach is to bring solid networking expertise to your company.  As an IT services provider to businesses for more than 10 years, I’ve built a network of highly skilled professionals ready to help your business with all of the current IT challenges.  DNS configuration is among these many challenges and is just one facet of proper, best-practice approaches that TCS provides.  I’ll take the time to explain our audit process, what the results mean, and why maintaining proper DNS configuration is essential to your day-to-day IT operations.  Whether you choose TCS for a one-time project or as a long-term valued IT partner, my approach remains the same: to provide a team that meets the technology needs of your company.  You won’t be limited to a “break/fix” IT person as often happens with independent contractors and internal staff.  Instead, as a TCS client, you will find a dedicated team of tech experts working with you to deliver the best IT services and customer care the industry has to offer.

Get Started With A Free DNS Audit Today!

Starting the process of auditing your DNS server environment can be easy with the proper tools.  In fact, you can start your audit today for free!  If you currently host your own website, e-mail services, FTP services, SharePoint, or CRM solution, DNS Stuff offers a suite of DNS-related tools, including a free DNS report and suite of DNS-related tools including a Domain and Mail Server health check.  Simply run the tool today to get started.  Enter your domain name and print your report.  If your report comes back 100% clean, congratulations!  If your report contains any errors, contact us for a no-obligation quote to assist with correcting your DNS configuration today!

How can your organization’s Technical Decision Makers become organization heroes by reducing costs through Core Infrastructure Optimization? Read more…

To effectively plan any storage project, it is important to know how to calculate true drive capacity. Although the cost of storage continues to decrease, valuable dollars can still be wasted through miscalculation of total drive capacity, resulting in the purchase of more storage than is actually needed. This is especially true when dealing with larger NAS or SAN arrays, as far too many vendors, drive manufacturers, and corresponding sales brochures round these figures off. When dealing with capacities in the terrabyte range, these seemingly small round-offs can add up to many gigabytes of storage that you’ll end up paying for.

For any spinning disk (non solid state), you’ll need to know three things:

• Cylinders
• Heads
• Sectors Per Track

The formula for calculating the total capacity is:

Cylinders x Heads x Sectors/Track x 512 = Total Capacity

The formula would result in a number similar to 20,003,880,960 (for a 20GB drive).

Here is how to use MSCONFIG in Windows XP to disable some of the unnecessary programs that automatically load on start-up. Disabling these programs will help your computer boot faster and crash less. Read more…

Microsoft’s Software Assurance program (SA) is utilized by companies that purchase Microsoft software in volumes (typically 5 or more licenses). The SA program can be thought of as a Microsoft insurance policy for the purpose of offsetting the costs of re-purchasing software upgrades at new (typically higher) prices, and is similar to a maintenance contract for software. The way Software Assurance works is that the buyer of the software, at the time of purchase, agrees to sign up for SA and pays an additional fee, typically 20-25% of the total software price per year for the benefits of SA. Benefits are as follows: Read more…